Everyday Is The Same
by Akiyotame
Summary: Eli has grown bored of her secretary job. Everyday has been the same ever since she started working at her job. A sudden shift change may end up being the thing that she needs.
1. Chapter 1

Everyday was the same for Ayase Eli. She worked at a front desk everyday as a secretary from six in the morning until five in the evening. Even though it wasn't something that she originally wanted to do, the pay rate was phenomenal compared to her old office job. Her job required her to basically sit in one spot and point old businessmen in the right direction. Nothing was ever exciting in her workplace, just constant working and no one offering any form of small talk to help make her miserable and lonely job slightly better.

She let out a deep sigh and spoke to herself, "... I wish I didn't give up dancing, it would have been better than this at least."

She looked up to an empty corridor. There aren't that many visitors today, and these are the days that Eli hated the most. Without having people walk in constantly, the time passed much slower in her head. The silence that is left in the empty void of a lonely room can only lead to something that Eli dislikes; thinking too much.

"Maybe I should get a new job... or ask for a different shift," she rubbed her temples, "but if I do that, there's no guarantee that I can get another job right away..." she shook her head to get rid of the thoughts.

She sat up with her back straight and started typing onto the computer. On the screen was an email window with the subject line, "Shift Change". She looked over what she typed before sending the email.

"I doubt that they'll give me anything," Eli kept her expectations low as she hit the send button.

The phone next to her rang immediately and she quickly answered, "Miss Ayase, may you please come to my office?" A manly voice said.

"Yes sir..." Eli replied in a rehearsed voice. She had been a secretary for several months and grasped onto a certain way of talking which she calls, "business front." She didn't really change her voice too much, she just spoke from her diaphragm to seem more confident and changed her pitch slightly to make her voice more polite.

She got up and walked over to the elevator. It arrived shortly after she pressed the button and she took a step in, leaving the sound of her heel hitting the floor to echo across the empty lobby. The elevator doors closed and she reached into her suit's pocket to pull out a small hand mirror. She always made sure to fix herself up a little before meeting with her boss. She had created this facade a month after she had started her job here and it hasn't been broken since.

The elevator came to a stop occupied with a dinging noise. When the doors slid open she realized that her boss's door was barely left open. Making sure to not break her image, she walked down the corridor with a confident stride that produced a rhythmic clicking noise due to her high heels. When she arrived at the door she knocked and waited for a response.

"Come in," the voice commanded.

She followed the order and pushed the already opened door until she was visible. Eli extended her leg and stepped into the room to see her boss in his usual seat and two other individuals sitting in front of him. One young man in a business suit, and the other a young woman in casual work clothes. The young woman got up and bowed but the young man gave the both of them a dirty look.

"Miss Ayase, please have a seat," her boss ordered.

She nodded and smiled before she took the last empty seat in the room.

"Now that my secretary is here, I believe it is time to introduce yourselves," her boss extended his hand in a presenting manner.

Eli turned to face the other two in the room and bowed, "My name is Ayase Eli, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"The name's Takeya Morikawa, just your average salaryman," the young man replied with little interest.

"My name is Toujou Nozomi, pleased to meet you," the woman bowed back.

"These two are going to start working with us tomorrow," the attention went back towards her boss. "There are going to be changes though because of our current limited staff. So, Miss Ayase," the boss turned his head to face her, "I'm replacing you with Takeya."

Eli felt a burning sensation in her gut after hearing what her boss had just said. As she was about to protest, she was interrupted by Takeya.

"Hold on, sir. I'm a salaryman, not a secretary," he raised his voice.

Her boss laughed and raised his hands, "Calm down, Takeya. I was only joking a little. What I mean to say is that I'm having you take over Miss Ayase's morning shift."

Eli raised her hand and spoke, "But sir, if you do that, I won't be able to work the amount of hours that we agreed on ever since I started working here."

The boss nodded his head, "Yes, I know, Miss Ayase. I did not forget our agreement and since you're always such an honest and faithful worker, I made sure to keep it. That is why I'm changing you over to night shift."

Eli raised her hand again, "But doesn't the building close around 9pm? I don't believe that you did the math correctly."

"Don't worry, you'll be coming in after the lunch break to start your shift," her boss answered quickly.

Eli had many more questions, but she avoided asking them in spite of her image. She looked over to her left and caught the woman staring at her before she turned away.

"And you, Miss Toujou. You don't have much of a work record, but we still have a job open for you," the boss added.

The woman looked up and smiled, "What is it, sir?"

"Night Janitor!" He announced.

"J-Janitor...?" The woman's voice trailed off.

"Any questions?" He asked to the group. There was no response. "Then I guess that means we're done here, you're all dismissed."

Takeya got up immediately and straightened his tie before leaving. Eli soon followed after but looked over her shoulder as she walked through the door. Nozomi was still seated and looking down into her lap. Was she not satisfied with her new job? Eli shook her head. There was no point in letting it bother her. She was just going to be like another background character to her everyday life.

Of course Eli was upset about the sudden change at first, it seemed like she wasn't getting her usual hours. But it does mean that her life just changed, even if it was just a little bit. She reached the elevator and pushed the button. It arrived shortly just like before and she stepped in. Eli turned around and spotted Nozomi walking down the hallway.

"Looks like she finally recovered," Eli spoke to herself before she stepped forward to hold the elevator doors open.

Nozomi looked up and noticed Eli's goodwill. She let out a small yelp before picking up her speed to keep her from waiting, "Thank you very much, Miss Ayase," she stepped into the elevator and bowed to Eli.

"You're welcome, you can also just call me Eli," she let go of the elevator door and rubbed the back of her head. This woman was a little strange.

Nozomi raised her head and held out her hand, "Okay, Eli. You can call me Nozomi then."

Eli shook Nozomi's hand and nodded, "I look forward to seeing you on the night shift." She added.

Nozomi smiled in response. The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open, "I'll see you tomorrow then, Eli," she took a step out of the elevator and waved. Eli waved back and watched Nozomi leave the building as she walked back to the front desk to finish her shift.

* * *

Eli woke up to the sound of her alarm the next morning. She reached over her head and felt around for her alarm clock until her hand landed on top of it. Her alarm came to a stop and she flipped over in her bed to face the ceiling, "I forgot to change my alarm..."

Eli sat up and looked outside the window next to her. It was slightly fogged but she could see the droplets of water rolling down her window. It took a while for Eli's senses to boot up, but she began to hear pecking noises against her window. It was hard rain. She yawned and swung her legs to the side of her bed and sat up. She reached for the remote next to the clock and pushed on the power button. The dark room was instantly lit by the large TV across from the bed. The news channel was on and they were talking about a new restaurant that opened up in town.

"Ocean's Flight? What a strange name..." Eli shrugged and got up. She left the TV on and walked towards the kitchen. She flipped the light switch and made her way to the fridge. It was packed with newly bought groceries that Eli had shopped for a few days ago. They were lined up neatly, vegetables on one shelf, meats on another, drinks on the door shelves and everything else was on the top shelf. She reached her hand in and grabbed the carton of eggs.

"I don't feel like eating much today," she set the carton on the counter and closed the fridge. Then she bent down and opened up one of the cupboards to get a medium sized frying pan. She set the pan on the stove and turned the knob to high. She waited for the pan to heat. In the meantime, she reached for the olive oil that was on the counter and poured a little bit of it onto the pan.

She opened another cupboard and pulled out a small bowl to set next to the eggs. Eli took a deep breath and opened the carton. She grabbed 2 of them and hit each one against the counter before cracking them into the bowl. The reason she uses her counter is so the shells don't accidentally get into the eggs, it was a trick her mother taught her when she was young.

She pulled on a drawer that was around hip level and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. She started beating the eggs while adding some seasoning like salt and pepper. By now the pan was ready and Eli gracefully poured the eggs onto it. Her apartment was filled with the crackling sound of the eggs being cooked. The smell began to invade the room until Eli's senses unconsciously blocked the smell.

She pulled out a plate and carefully placed the cooked eggs on it. She set the pan down and grabbed a fork from the drawer before walking back to the TV. The news was still on and had just moved over to the weather forecast. Eli took a seat and placed the plate on a table before grabbing her remote.

"It's going to rain all week..." Eli took a quick glimpse of the weather chart before she started channel surfing. She held the remote in one hand while using her fork in the other to start eating her breakfast. There usually wasn't anything interesting to watch in the mornings. Most of the channels just ran their version of a newscast and few channels actually offer anything to remotely enjoy. Eli flipped past another channel before flipping back,

"Oh!" She set down the remote and picked up her plate.

It was a live broadcast of a ballet performance from the US. Eli watched intently while enjoying the rest of her breakfast. She used to do ballet herself when she lived in Russia with her grandmother, but ever since she moved to Japan during high school she had quit dancing all together. Eli set the empty plate down and curled up in her chair to finish watching the live broadcast.

It ended around 8am. Eli still had a lot of time before work. She got up and placed her plate in the kitchen sink before walking across her apartment to her dresser. She pulled out a white t-shirt and some underwear before making her way to the bathroom.

Eli appeared from the bathroom about an hour later with a toothbrush in her mouth. She set her dirty clothes in a basket and reached up to continue brushing her teeth. Eli didn't really like standing in one place and brushing her teeth, it was something strange nonetheless. She'd much prefer walking around her apartment while she did it. In her mind, it was more entertaining than staring at herself in the mirror.

She walked around the apartment and continued to brush her teeth. All she could do was think to herself while observing what was around her. It looked like it was going to rain all day, but something about the city being dim and clouded with a gray color relaxed her. It must sound strange to most people, but Eli liked how the rain could transform an entire city in an instant.

She finished brushing her teeth and sat in front of the TV again until it was time for her to leave. Her work place was about a 15 minute walk away from her apartment. She checked her desk clock and got up to change into her business clothing. She pulled out a light blue dress shirt and a black skirt that reached down to her knees. Eli didn't really feel like putting on a suit or tie so she kept it to a minimum. She made her way to the front door and grabbed her purse and a long, white umbrella before putting on a pair of black high heels.

She reached the bottom floor and walked out of the lobby. The rain was pouring down hard, but Eli pushed on anyways. She opened up her umbrella and began walking. The rain would patter off of the concrete sidewalk and splash against her legs. It was difficult to walk in this hard rain with her heels on, one slip could have her end up in an emergency room if she wasn't careful.

There was barely anyone outside. Anyone who was, was either in a car or taking shelter from the storm. Eli checked her wristwatch, she didn't have time to stop in hopes for the storm to ease up. She pushed forward, but nature pushed back. The wind started picking up and sending the rain sideways, pelting against Eli. She retaliated by tilting her umbrella forward which she would soon regret. A large gust of wind swept under the umbrella and knocked it out of Eli's hands into the air. The umbrella was helplessly carried away by the wind and left Eli behind for a wet demise.

The rain ruthlessly poured on Eli as she made a sprint for her workplace. Her dress shirt was getting soaked and her skirt was starting to stick against her legs. If she didn't hurry, the rain would soak into her underwear which would leave her uncomfortable for her whole shift. She picked up her pace, she could feel the rain rolling down her back and her legs. Her clothes began to feel heavy and stick onto her, before she knew it she looked like some high school teacher who had been pushed into a pool.

Her hair had become a mess, and her make up had long since been washed away. She brought up her wristwatch and wiped it hastily.

"I still have 10 minutes to get to work," Eli attempted to psych herself up. She quickly looked both ways and dashed for the other side of the street. In an instant, she felt a sudden loss of balance on her right foot. Her heel had snapped and caused her to crash onto the middle of the street. Her dress shirt slipped out from the clutches of her now ripped skirt. Eli was a mess. She felt a warm sensation around her knee and sat up to inspect it. Her knee was badly scraped and bleeding.

She tried to pick herself up but felt a sharp pain on her right ankle. She must have rolled her ankle during the fall, there was no way she could make it to work in this condition. She crawled her way to the side of the street and sat on the curb. If anyone were to pass her, they would think she was some business woman who just lost her job.

Eli dragged herself under a shelter and reached into her purse to pull out a few tissues. She placed them over the wound on her knee and leaned against the wall. Eli cursed herself for not being more careful. If she showed up to work like this, she would definitely get scolded and maybe even fired. Working as a secretary for a company like hers required you to be nicely dressed and maintain appearance.

Eli curled up and brought her knees to her chest. She hung her head and scrounged around her purse in search of her phone to call in sick. Whatever focus she had left was broken when she heard a tire screech and the squeaking of shaken metal. She looked up to see a rusty old pick up truck parked in front of her.

The window rolled down and she was greeted with the concerned face of a woman who wore her purple hair in two tails.

"Miss Ayas- I mean, Eli?" the woman called out.

Eli weakly smiled back, "Oh... Good afternoon, Nozomi."


	2. Chapter 2

Nozomi glanced at the soaked blonde with a soft expression, "Eli, get in before you get sick."

Eli held up her hand to decline her offer, "No thanks, Nozomi. If you don't mind, could you tell the boss I'm calling in sick today?"

Nozomi frowned and set the gear on her truck to park before rushing out to Eli, "Here, use my jacket…"

Eli looked up and watched Nozomi take off her jacket, placing it loosely around her shoulders, "You'll get wet…"

"I've been through worse…" Nozomi caught sight of Eli's knee injury and looked at her with a worried expression, "Eli, what happened?" The blonde remained silent and looked away to avoid the question, "Nice try, but I'm not leaving without you," Nozomi announced.

"I tripped…" Eli replied.

Nozomi frowned and jogged back to the passenger side of her car. She pulled on the handle of the glove box and pulled out an emergency first aid kit. Inside was a small antiseptic spray bottle, a few sheets of gauze and a roll of bandaging.

She nodded to herself and rushed back to Eli's side with the kit, "Let me clean it for you," Nozomi said calmly.

Eli looked away and leaned against the wall of the building to give Nozomi enough room to work on her scratched knee, "I'm going to spray some of this on it alright? It'll sting a little…"

Nozomi sprayed the antiseptic onto Eli's knee and felt the blonde's knee jerk in response, "Does it hurt?"

Eli shook her head and Nozomi continued to bandage her knee. After a minute, Nozomi slapped Eli's leg lightly, "Alright, we're done!" she said with a smile.

"Thank you…" Eli replied.

Nozomi stood up and took a deep breath, "Pretty crappy day huh?"

"That's an understatement…" Eli replied.

Nozomi clapped and offered Eli a helping hand, "Alright, let's get to work!"

Eli frowned, "I told you I'm not going in…"

"Why not? You don't look sick," Nozomi pointed out.

Eli grinded her teeth, "Look at me!" Nozomi stepped back from the sudden yelling, "I look like crap! I'm the secretary, I'm supposed to look good for our visitors!"

Her eyes widened when she noticed her yelling and quickly quieted down, "I can't go in, the boss will yell at me, or worse, fire me…"

Nozomi rubbed the back of her neck, "Come on… I'm sure the boss will understand if you just tell him what happened."

"Our boss is quite the character…" Eli replied.

"You've been working there for a long time so maybe he'll let it slide just this once?" Nozomi suggested.

"Just go ahead without me… I don't want you to be late for your first day on the job," Eli waved.

Nozomi grabbed her hand and started pulling, "I can't let you be late for your first day on your new shift either."

"W-Wait!" Eli was forced onto her feet quickly and she stumbled forward, almost tripping if it wasn't for Nozomi who caught her in time, "My ankle…"

"You sprained your ankle too?" Nozomi asked in disbelief.

Eli sighed, "Yeah…"

"I don't have enough bandages to fix that up for you," Nozomi said sadly.

"It's alright, you've done enough already…" Eli responded.

"Can you make it to my car?" Nozomi asked. Eli shrugged in response, "Come on…" Nozomi threw Eli's arm over her shoulder and helped the blonde into her car, "Watch your head."

Eli lowered her head to avoid bumping it against the car, "You really don't have to do this."

Nozomi ignored the blonde's words and pushed her in as carefully as possible. Once Eli's body was clear from the doorway, Nozomi shut the door and rushed to the other side, "Just hang on for a little longer," Nozomi said.

Eli remained silent and slumped against the window, watching the rain pelt against the glass as if it wanted to continue ruining Eli's day. Each beat against the glass would ring in her ears, annoying her little by little.

"Eli?" Nozomi called out.

Eli's blood boiled over and she snapped back at Nozomi, "What?!"

The girl in question pushed herself back against her car door with a fearful expression, "I-I just wanted to tell you that we're here…"

Eli sighed and looked away, "I'm not going in."

Nozomi frowned, "Fine, but can you give me a second if you plan to leave?"

Eli used her hand as a headrest and avoided any eye contact, "Yeah, whatever…" she listened as Nozomi pulled the keys out from the ignition and close the door gently. The sound of footsteps slowly dissipated as time passed.

After about 5 or 10 minutes, Eli heard the footsteps growing louder again. She was caught off guard when the door she was leaning against was pulled open. She would have fallen if the person who opened it in the first place didn't catch her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were leaning against the door," Nozomi apologized.

"It's fine…" Eli replied.

Nozomi held up a first aid kit and smiled, "Let's take care of your ankle this time," Eli stuck her leg out from the car and dangled it for Nozomi to inspect, "This might hurt a little so just bear with it."

Nozomi waited for a nod from Eli before continuing, "Tell me where it hurts," she said before gently pressing around Eli's ankle.

"I don't know… it hurts all over, I guess," Eli replied.

"How about here?" Nozomi pressed against the tendon which caused Eli to react intensely to the pain.

"Hey!" Eli yelled.

"I'm sorry, I just had to make sure so I can wrap your ankle properly," Nozomi replied. She gently applied muscle cream onto Eli's ankle and massaged it around as lightly as she could to avoid hurting Eli.

It was hard to keep Eli calm in the first place. Every time Nozomi squeezed on her ankle, Eli would jolt up in response until she was done, "Is it over?" Eli asked weakly.

Nozomi nodded and pulled out a discolored roll of athletic wrap to begin rotating it around Eli's ankle. She pulled lightly with every loop until it fit nicely around the blonde's ankle, "Is it too tight or too loose?" she asked.

Eli shook her head which led to Nozomi smiling, "That's great! I have one more thing for you," she leaned over to grab a fresh pair of clothes she had left in her locker the day before and presented it to Eli, "I thought you might want a change of clothes."

Eli looked at them with a confused look, "I don't understand, why?"

"You have to look a little nice to be a secretary, right? It might not be as fancy as what you're wearing right now, but it should be nice enough for your job," Nozomi replied.

Eli reluctantly grabbed the clothes, "Are these your clothes?"

Nozomi rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah, I had spare clothes in my locker just in case."

Eli looked down at the clothes and briefly smiled, "Do you mind giving me some time to change then?"

Nozomi blushed and stood up as straight as a board, "Yes! Of course!" and sped off in the other direction.

Eli giggled a little from the unsuspected reaction from Nozomi and took a careful step out of the truck to avoid putting too much weight on her ankle.

She placed the clothes on the hood of the car and inspected them, there was a basic black dress shirt and a dark blue skirt. They weren't as fancy as her own clothes, they leaned more towards a business casual look, but they were good enough for her job.

Eli unbuttoned her wet dress shirt and tossed it into Nozomi's truck. The blonde frowned when she pressed her fingers against her bra, it had soaked through because of how much time she spent sulking in the rain.

"What am I supposed to do about this?" Eli depressingly asked herself. She played with the hooks on her bra nervously before letting go and covering herself with Nozomi's shirt.

The blonde glanced around in search of Nozomi and caught a glimpse of purple hair sticking out in the open near a corner, "Hey Nozomi?"

She heard a squeal and a response shortly after, "Y-Yes?"

"I don't know how else to say this, but my bra is wet," Eli replied.

"What do you expect me to do?" Nozomi replied back.

"Do you have an undershirt, or a hair dryer or anything?" Eli asked.

"Sorry, that's all I have with me…" Nozomi answered.

Eli looked down and sighed, "Oh well… I guess I'll have to hang it up to dry in my locker…"

The blonde knelt down out of sight to unhook her bra and quickly put Nozomi's dress shirt on before sliding her ripped skirt off and replacing it with the dark blue one.

She stood up straight and fixed her hair before glancing at herself with the side view mirror, "Hmm… It's loose compared to my dress shirts…"

Nozomi peeked around the corner to see Eli dressed and quickly walked over to her, "Is everything alright?"

Eli adjusted the skirt until it fit just enough around her, "Your clothes are a little loose on me."

Nozomi smiled awkwardly, "It might be because I'm a little bigger than you…"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Eli responded quickly.

Nozomi waved her hand, "No, it's okay. I get told that every now and then so I'm used to it."

Eli frowned at her accidental offense and reached over to Nozomi, "Hey, can you help me inside?"

Nozomi jumped, "Oh! Yeah, of course!"

The girl swung Eli's arm over her shoulder and began walking slowly towards the entrance to the building. Eli would show slight signs of pain after every few steps, but it seemed like she was getting used to it.

"Hey, it looks like you're getting better already!" Nozomi said with positivity.

Eli shrugged in response, "That or my body is just numbing the pain only for me to feel it ten fold when I get back home…"

"I-I never took you for a debbie downer, Eli," Nozomi replied nervously.

Eli looked away, "Yeah, well sometimes it gets to the best of us…" Eli felt Nozomi come to a full stop and glanced at her, "Hey, why are we stopping?"

Nozomi bowed her head down nonchalantly, "Good afternoon, Takeya!" Eli glanced up and saw the man from yesterday approaching them. She nodded to acknowledge his presence.

"You two are late, and it's to you, young lady!" he said with animosity. He looked over at Eli then down at her leg, "What happened to you?"

Eli's brow furrowed, she didn't really like the way he was talking to the both of them, "The rain hit on my way here and my heel snapped before I was about to cross the street."

The man looked down at Eli's ankle again then back up, clearing his throat in the process, "Don't be late again, or I will report this to the boss."

"Yes sir," Nozomi answered immediately.

The two girls traded glances and Nozomi wore an expression that signaled Eli to let go of the issue at hand before more drama was added, "Yeah, got it…" she replied carelessly.

Nozomi picked up the pace once again and bumped shoulders with Takeya. Whether it was intentional or not, it left the party with a sour taste, "Can you believe that guy?" Eli asked.

Nozomi shrugged, "He's just a stickler, I guess."

Eli gritted her teeth, "Are you kidding me? This guy walks in like he owns the place even though I'm technically his superior."

"Just let it go, Eli. He's gone now," Nozomi tried to reason.

Eli pulled her arm away from Nozomi and spun herself until she was in front of the girl, "If he ever talks to you like that, don't stand for it! If he wants respect, then he should expect to give us respect too."

Nozomi nodded in response, "Okay, I get it…"

"Goo- Ahh!" Eli put too much weight onto her ankle and crashed against a nearby wall to keep herself up.

"Hey! Take it easy, how many times do I have to say that?" Nozomi pulled on Eli's hand gently and threw her arm over her shoulder, "Let's get you to your desk first."

The two girls hobbled their way over to the main lobby and behind the front desk, "Alright, just go down slowly…" Nozomi instructed.

"I'm fine, Nozomi," Eli placed herself gently on the seat and looked up at her with a smile, "Thanks for everything."

Nozomi blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, "I was just looking out for another co-worker, that's all."

Eli turned around with her chair and logged into the computer, "You should get to your work now, I'll be fine until we close."

Nozomi nodded and jogged away, leaving the blonde girl alone at the main lobby. Eli looked around to see her desk having changed quite a bit, "Takeya must have moved a bunch of my stuff around… Where is my little dog thing?"

Eli looked around the desk in search of a small dog statue that her younger sister gave her on the first day of her job, "It should be right here, where is it?"

The blonde flipped and turned everything on the desk in search of the statue before pulling the drawers open to find nothing more than abundant office supplies that were probably placed there by Takeya, "I swear, if that man tossed out that gift from Arisa…"

Eli pushed herself towards the trash bin and dug through it until she felt something hard tap against her knuckle. After removing some of the waste in the bin, she spotted the dog statue and breathed a sigh of relief, "Found you."

She picked up the dog statue and placed it back on top of her desk, wiping off anything that had gotten on it while it was in the trash, "I can't believe he would throw this out without even asking…"

"Hey Eli!" a voice called out.

Eli glanced up to see Nozomi in overalls and a simple working cap, "Oh, hey."

Nozomi frowned and leaned over on the desk, "Hey, what happened?" Eli picked up the statue and presented it to Nozomi, "Oh, that's so cute!"

Eli smiled and held it close to her chest, "Thanks, it was a gift from my little sister. I found it in the trash just now…"

"In the trash? What was it doing in there?" Nozomi asked.

Eli shrugged, "The only explanation I can think of is Takeya throwing it out."

Nozomi frowned, "Why would he do that?"

Eli shrugged again and sighed, "It's whatever, I'll just leave a note next time."

"Okay then… Hey I've got to get to cleaning so I'll talk to you when I get back down here," Nozomi announced.

"Back down here?" Eli asked confusingly.

Nozomi nodded, "Yeah, I think it would be better to clean from top to bottom, it saves me the energy of having to come back down with my stuff at the end of the day."

Eli nodded as Nozomi explained, "I suppose that makes sense then… good luck." Nozomi smiled and waved goodbye, leaving Eli alone in the main lobby once again.

* * *

The day went on almost exactly like her previous shift. The only difference she could come up with was the sudden lack of people to guide to where they needed to go. Perhaps it was more common to have meetings before the evening rolled around.

Several hours passed by dreadfully for Eli. She leaned onto her desk and clicked her mouse sparingly. The ad on her computer screen closed and an elevator ring caught her attention.

She glanced over at the sliding doors to see Nozomi pushing her cart into the main lobby, "Nozomi?"

The girl tipped her cap and smiled, "Hey Eli!"

"Did you finish doing the upper floors already?" Eli asked.

Nozomi nodded in response and pulled a broom off her cart, "You guys sure do like to make a mess where you aren't seen so often," she commented.

Eli shrugged and looked around, "I don't go past the main lobby most of the time so I wouldn't know."

"The bathrooms are the worst, how can people miss the toilet? Seriously…" Nozomi complained.

Eli laughed awkwardly to sympathize with the girl, "So after this, you're done?"

"Yeah, by the look of things, this place is already pretty clean. Probably just need to sweep up and clean the floors," Nozomi replied.

Eli sat back and grinned, "I'll leave you to it then."

Nozomi tipped her cap again and began sweeping the floor. The bristles of the broom brushing against the floor created a rhythmic and somewhat calming sound for Eli. Perhaps all she needed was a simple tempo to match her heartbeat to.

A warm and light humming soon followed after the brushing sound from the broom. It felt like it had it's own life, like the notes that were hummed fluttered their way to Eli's ears, begging to be heard. And once they were, they would creep their way into the synapse of her brain and soothe each passing thought.

"Eli? Hey, Eli!" a voice called out.

Eli's eyes sprung open to meet Nozomi's. She didn't even notice that she had closed her eyes while listening to the humming. Now that she was back, she noticed that the humming had stopped and opened her mouth to answer Nozomi, "Y-Yes? What is it?"

Nozomi smiled and pointed down at Eli's desk, "If you don't mind, can I start cleaning around your desk?"

Eli dazed out after hearing the question and shook her head to focus herself, "Yeah, s-sure. Just let me move some things around and get out of your way."

Nozomi replied with a cheeky smile and tipped her cap, "Don't you worry, I won't toss out the little dog."

Eli responded with a pathetic laugh and leaned back on her chair, "Hey Nozomi?"

The girl kept her eyes fixed on what she was doing, but she responded quickly, "Yeah?"

Eli's mind flashed back to yesterday during the meeting with her boss. It only lasted a second, but when the boss gave Nozomi her job, she saw a hint of disappointment and sadness on her face, "What did you come here for?"

Nozomi stood up straight and cocked her head in confusion, it seemed like what Eli asked was out of the ordinary based on her reaction, "Because I work here?"

Eli sighed and reworded her question, "I meant, why did you come here for a job?"

Nozomi repeated the same gesture she did to the previous question, ""Isn't that obvious? Because I wanted a job."

Eli shook her head at the unbelievable answers she was getting, "I mean, what did you come here expecting to do!"

Nozomi's eyes fluttered as if to signal that she finally got back on track and began cleaning again, "Well, I was hoping for an office job, but my work record isn't exactly that good."

"Have you not had many jobs?" Eli asked.

Nozomi reached over and began wiping the visible areas of the desk, "I've worked a lot of part time, but I guess it wasn't anything substantial for this kind of job."

"Oh… Are you really okay with a janitor job?" Eli asked.

Nozomi stood up straight and shrugged, "At least it pays a little better than what I used to get."

Eli frowned, despite the girl's positive outlook, she couldn't help but feel bad for someone who worked hard just to land a janitor job at most, "He could have at least given you the errand runner job."

Nozomi looked at Eli with an almost unbelievable look, "Wouldn't that be like taking your job?"

Eli stared blankly at the woman for a few seconds before she let a laugh slip through her lips. It wasn't her intention to laugh, but the way Nozomi asked the question was somehow funny to her.

Nozomi puffed her cheeks and gripped her wiping cloth a little tighter, "Hey! What's so funny?!"

Eli waved her hand to dismiss herself before taking a deep breath to fully calm down, "An errand runner and secretary are two different things."

Nozomi backed away in confusion, "What? Explain this to me."

"Well… an errand runner pretty much just spends all their time devoted to getting everyone what they need," she answered.

"So what do you as a secretary do?" Nozomi asked.

Eli leaned back on her chair and sighed, "Do whatever the boss tells me, make calls, accept calls, scheduling, planning, escorting, reception. I'm pretty much the conduit between the boss and our clients."

Nozomi nodded her head along as Eli spoke. It was a lot simpler than she initially thought it would be, "Oh, I see now. Thanks for explaining this to me."

Eli nodded and yawned, stretching her arms out to revitalize her rigid body. She glanced out the front doors to see that the world outside was tainted with an orange glow, signifying that the end of the day was coming and the start of the night was arriving.

Eli jumped when she heard the sound of a vacuum erupting in the main lobby. She sat up straight to see Nozomi lightly bobbing her head from side to side while vacuuming.

Eli took a deep breath to calm her suddenly increased heart rate and slumped back onto her chair. It was a dreadfully slow day compared to the already slow days she worked before today. Not only were there less clients that walked through the doors, but the whole idea of her spending her evenings in this main lobby sucked away a majority of her energy.

She eventually got used to the sound of the vacuum that she almost didn't notice that it had shut off initially. When she looked up, she observed Nozomi winding up the cord and hanging on a hook built onto the machine.

The two made eye contact and Eli was the first to look away. In a few seconds she heard something tapping softly against the desk in front of her and turned to the already suspected source. Nozomi greeted her with a smile once again and leaned forward against the desk, "Been a long day, huh?"

Eli effortlessly picked up a pen and tossed it a few centimeters away to show her amount of boredom, "More like a slow day. I'm actually working less hours than before."

Nozomi tilted her head and answered back, "Oh right, I kind of remember you saying that yesterday with the boss."

Eli nodded and continued, "Yeah, it's kind of lame that I have to share the job with someone else. Plus I liked having my evenings to myself."

"Oh, that must be unfortunate then," Nozomi ended her sentence and walked back to her cart to open up what looked like a cooler. She returned a few moments later with a convenience store bought bento, "This might not be the right time, but do you know where the microwave is?"

Eli looked at the woman holding the bento with confusion before pointing down the hallway towards the left, "If you walk all the way down, there should be a door right before the exit to the staff parking. There's a microwave in there."

"Thanks!" she exclaimed happily. Eli bowed her head to return the thanks and watched Nozomi make her way down the hall. She didn't return after several minutes, so she assumed that she was eating the bento in the staff lounge.

Some time passed before Eli glanced at the corner of her computer screen to check the time, it was almost 9pm and nearing the end of her shift. She could hear the sound of footsteps coming from her left ear and looked over to see Nozomi returning to the main lobby, "Hey, how was the meal?"

"It did its job and filled me up," Nozomi replied with a smile. A sudden low grumbling sound emitted in the main lobby and the two women traced their eyes to the source of the sound.

Eli's stomach.

"I-I could have given you some of my bento if you were hungry," Nozomi said quickly to break the silence.

Eli blushed and shook her head, "No, that's fine. I didn't even realize how long it had been since I've eaten today."

Nozomi's eyes suddenly flashed and she leaned herself over Eli's desk, "Did you hear that a new restaurant opening up? I think it's called Ocean's Flight."

"I heard about it briefly in the news this morning, so I don't really know much about it," Eli replied.

"How about I treat you to some dinner then?" Nozomi offered out of the blue.

Eli held out her hand to the outlandish suggestion, "I'm fine, really. I have food I can prepare at home anyways."

Nozomi smirked a little in response and leaned a little closer, "Aw come on, I'd like for us to be friends and get to know each other if we'll be seeing each other often."

Eli couldn't deny the offer now that Nozomi gave her that reasoning, "Fine… We should head out now then before it closes."

Eli leaned over and began shutting off the computer after logging off. She shuffled around with the contents on the desk and placed whatever important papers she had into her bag before grabbing the dog statue and slipping it into the bag as well.

Nozomi pulled a set of numerous keys attached to a massive keyring out of her overalls, "You go ahead and wait by my car if you can. I have to make quick rounds and make sure all the entrances are locked."

The blonde nodded and watched as Nozomi broke out into a light jog to check and lock all the doors she needed to. While Nozomi was preoccupied, Eli took her time to test the waters on her ankle.

It had been several hours since the last time she walked on it, but she couldn't ignore the pulsating pain it radiated every now and then during her time at the desk. She put all of her weight onto the desk and stood up on her uninjured ankle first before setting down her other one.

Once it made contact with the ground, a wave of pain emitted from the center of her ankle and spread up to her head to signal a red flag. She immediately retracted her injured ankle off the ground and looked around.

Nozomi popped around the corner seeming to enjoy herself. She was humming and casting her strides rather carelessly until she caught a glimpse of Eli still at the desk, "Eli? What are you still doing here?"

"My ankle hurts too much to walk," she replied uneasily.

Nozomi's concerned expression melted into a gentle one and she walked over to Eli's side, "Let me help you."

Eli nodded and leaned over on Nozomi's shoulder. The woman under her put extra effort to lift Eli up enough so that she wouldn't need to touch her injured ankle with the ground.

The two awkwardly hopped Eli past the staff parking exit and into the passenger side of Nozomi's truck. The two eased into the car and smiled, "I have to go change really quick so just wait for me a little longer."

Eli nodded and watched Nozomi jog back through the door. It was quiet in the parking lot, the only sources of light were the fixtures that were scattered around the main driving areas of the lot. There were less cars than usual, probably because not many people worked the night shift or were out of the building by 5pm.

Eli jumped when the driver's side door swung open. Nozomi had returned without a word and slid into the vehicle without any effort, "Alright! Let's go get you some food!" Without a response from Eli, Nozomi put the gear into reverse and backed out of the spot quickly.

* * *

The ride to the restaurant started off silent until Nozomi was the first to speak up. She cleared her throat to get Eli's attention, "So, do you have a favorite food or anything?"

Eli glanced over at Nozomi before answering, "Well, it's not exactly a savory food, but I really like chocolate."

Nozomi nodded as Eli spoke, "Oh really? Chocolate is good but I was always geared towards much more satisfying food."

"What about you? What is your favorite food?" Eli asked in returned.

Nozomi smirked and looked at Eli with a confident face, "Grilled meat!"

Eli cocked her head to the side, "Grilled meat?"

Nozomi's smirk blended into a look of satisfaction and happiness as she began to explain, "Grilled meat is the best. It's even better if you get to grill it yourself! The sound it makes when it hits the smoldering metal of the grill is music to my ears. And probably the best part is that you get to choose how long to cook it to change up the flavors. I personally like it a little medium rare because it's still pretty juicy and well cooked at that point. When it's fully cooked, it kind of gets dry, but that's what the dipping sauces are for! And not to mention how great it goes with side dishes! Grilled meat and rice, or grilled meat and salad. Even miso soup works great with it! Grilled meat is the ultimate food!"

Eli's head spun as Nozomi's description caught her off guard. Without a single doubt in her mind, she could tell that this girl absolutely loves grilled meat. Or rather she idolizes it.

Nozomi gasped when she caught herself getting carried away, "Oh! I'm so sorry for blabbering on. How about foods you don't like?"

Eli dismissed Nozomi's apology with her hand and answered back, "That would be pickled plums and nori."

"Really? But those two are really good to put on rice!" Nozomi asked surprisingly.

"It must be an acquired taste," Eli replied awkwardly, "I've only lived in Japan for a part of my life."

"Oh? Where did you live before?" Nozomi asked.

"I lived in Russia with my grandmother for a lot of my childhood. I moved here around high school," she answered.

"Oooh that would explain your hair! Honestly, I thought you just bleached it," Nozomi said with a giggle.

Eli laughed along, "So what about you? What do you dislike?"

"Caramel," Nozomi replied quickly.

Eli tilted her head in question, "Why's that?"

Nozomi's expression softened quickly before she responded, "It's a little personal… just know that I don't like it."

Eli picked up on the hidden signals that Nozomi threw in her voice and decided to back off immediately, "So, have you heard anything good about the restaurant?"

Nozomi shrugged, "I only found out about it today while I was on my way to work. I didn't manage to see anything inside."

Eli nodded along and noticed a deck of cards tucked away by the emergency brake handle, "Are you a fan of cards?"

Nozomi glanced down at them and smiled, "Yeah. They aren't playing cards though."

"Oh? What are they then?" Eli asked while reaching over. Her fingers grasped the deck of cards tightly and she managed to pull them out without dropping a single one. She held the deck with her hands and began skimming through them with her thumbs.

"They're tarot cards, my grandma gave them to me when I was young," Nozomi answered.

"When you were young? These cards look like they're new," Eli commented.

Nozomi smiled, "Of course! I have to take care of gifts from loved ones after all."

Eli thought back to her dog statue and how it was like Nozomi's tarot cards. It made her smile knowing that there are others that share the same sentiment for items that others would deem useless.

"Hey, we're here," Nozomi announced while slowly pushing against the breaks. The squeaking of unoiled metals echoed through the empty streets and Nozomi placed her finger on a switch to roll down her window.

The lights were off and there were no signs of life inside. She leaned out slightly from the truck to read the sign that was on the door. Nozomi clicked her tongue and sat back in her seat with an unsatisfied frown.

"W-What's wrong?" Eli asked out of concern.

Nozomi pointed at the sign with her thumb, "The restaurant doesn't officially open until tomorrow."

"Oh… that's a shame," Eli replied. Of course she was against the offer in the first place, but now that she was here, she had to admit that she was a little disappointed with the outcome of the situation.

"I guess I can take you somewhere else then?" Nozomi asked.

Eli glanced at the dashboard clock and shook her head, "No that's alright, it's getting late anyways. We should call it a night."

Nozomi frowned and slumped in her seat, "Then, how about we come here together for lunch tomorrow? I'm sure it will be open then!"

Eli nodded, "Sure, that sounds like a plan."

Nozomi gripped her hand as if she made a victory and looked at Eli happily, "Now that that's settled, please lead the way to your home."

After a smooth ride home, the two girls arrived in front of Eli's apartment complex, "Wow, nice place you got here…" Nozomi said in awe as she looked up at the tall building.

"The job pays for it," Eli said for the sake of getting a reply out.

Nozomi turned the key to stop the engine and unlocked the doors, "Well, let's get you up there in a jiffy!"

Eli stared blankly in confusion before Nozomi's words registered for her brain, "No way! I can get up there on my own, you've done enough for me today as it is."

"Are you stupid?" Nozomi replied. Eli's brow furrowed in annoyance, "You're injured, I can't let you limp yourself up and risk getting hurt even more than you already are."

Her little bit of anger to Nozomi's question quickly disappeared when she learned of her goodwill, "F-Fine…"

Nozomi nodded vigorously and quickly exited the vehicle to help Eli out. Just like she had back at the main lobby of their workplace, Nozomi lifted Eli high enough to avoid touching the ground as much as possible, "Just take it easy, no need to rush."

The two limped Eli across the main lobby of the apartment complex and over to the only available elevator there. Once inside, Eli pressed on the designated floor her room was located on and the two waited patiently for the elevator to reach its destination.

With a bell ring, the doors to the elevator opened slowly enough for the two to step out of. Eli's room was located a few doors down and the two were standing in front of it just a few seconds later.

"Thanks again for all your help," Eli repeated. She fished into her purse to find the keys to the apartment and inserted it into the lock. With a click, the door was unlocked and Nozomi helped Eli in.

"No problem!" Nozomi responded happily. She glanced around Eli's apartment with curious eyes before focusing them back on her, "I should probably get going now."

"Yeah… Thanks again, Nozomi," Eli repeated.

Nozomi twirled on her heels and saw herself out of Eli's apartment. Before stepping through the doorway, she stopped in her footsteps to glance back at Eli, "Hey, Eli?"

Caught off guard, Eli jolted her head up to make eye contact with Nozomi, "W-What is it? Is something wrong?"

Nozomi gave a small grin before answering back, "Do you mind if I start calling you Elichi?"

The two shared a smile before Eli gave her answer,

"Sure."


End file.
